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Ulysses

by: James Joyce

Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce, first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature, it has been called "a demonstration and summation of the entire movement".

Ulysses chronicles the passage of Leopold Bloom through Dublin during an ordinary day, 16 June 1904 (the day of Joyce's first date with his future wife, Nora Barnacle). The title alludes to Odysseus (Latinised into Ulysses), the hero of Homer's Odyssey, and establishes a series of parallels between characters and events in Homer's poem and Joyce's novel (e.g., the correspondences between Leopold Bloom and Odysseus, Molly Bloom and Penelope, and Stephen Dedalus and Telemachus). Joyce fans worldwide now celebrate 16 June as Bloomsday.

Ulysses contains approximately 265,000 words from a lexicon of 30,030 words (including proper names, plurals and various verb tenses), divided into eighteen episodes. Since publication, the book attracted controversy and scrutiny, ranging from early obscenity trials to protracted textual "Joyce Wars." Ulysses' stream-of-consciousness technique, careful structuring, and experimental prose—full of puns, parodies, and allusions, as well as its rich characterisations and broad humour, made the book a highly regarded novel in the Modernist pantheon. In 1999, the Modern Library ranked Ulysses first on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

For a more enlightening look at Ulysses, please visit http://www.joyceimages.com/

***EDIT*** An updated, higher-resolution version of the same is here: https://archive.org/details/Ulysses-Audiobook-Merged/

Addeddate: 2010-10-02 19:31:55

External_metadata_update: 2019-04-11T22:43:41Z

Identifier: Ulysses-Audiobook

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Reviews

Reviewer: AugustoHF - - May 19, 2020
Subject: Awesome performance!

As a Spanish speaker, it had been very difficult to approach this book. It still was difficult. But with the aid of this excellent cast I was able to finally read this piece of art. This is a book I would like read at least one more time in my life. But not without this audio. The experience was so amazing!

Reviewer: envoi - - April 28, 2018
Subject: Best audio book

I am thankful for the great quality of this recording. I rate it tops.

Reviewer: Luciano46 - - February 16, 2018
Subject: Very useful

I’m trying to read Ulysses in original version and listen a good recording is a must.
Do you think is possible to keep the all recording in my iPad? And in the case the reply is positive how could I proceed ?

Reviewer: alanskef - - July 3, 2016
Subject: Superb version by RTE

This is by far the best way to access Ulysses for anyone who finds the prospect intimidating. There are readings of Ulysses available online but this dramatised version far surpasses them all, while delivering the entire text unedited. Soon after it was broadcast it was on offer on cassette for about £600, subsequently it became available on CD for about €35, now here it is free which is great. The Irish national broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTE) deserves huge credit for this production, though less so for the zero cast information with the CD version which was a real disgrace. To remedy this see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_(broadcast). So perhaps in revenge we’re entitled to enjoy this free version, of which I see no evidence of it being approved by RTE :-)

Reviewer: brownstyler - - June 10, 2016
Subject: High quality recording of one of the most important novels ever

Ulysses is one of the few experimental works of art that is utterly unique, uncomfortably strange, and yet deeply human. It is extraordinarily playful and affirmative of about those parts of ourselves we don't like to talk about. It is incredibly hard to understand everything that’s going on in Ulysses, but it is written so that you aren't required or expected to. Even if you comprehend almost nothing about what is going on the music and rhythm of the words is sufficiently beautiful and captivating in itself.
There are no easily distinguishable boundaries within Ulysses, and it the are large stretches where it is unclear from what point of view the story is being told. It takes care and forethought to do the flow of Ulysses justice in audiobook form... which is why the high quality of this recording is so worthy of praise. The fact that is freely available to everyone on the archive is an incredible gift.
Thank you!

Reviewer: daedalus8 - - March 18, 2015
Subject: Brilliant!

Marvelous performance.

Reviewer: shamusseamus - - August 31, 2014
Subject: Could whistle in his own ear.

It's terrific to have access to this wonderful resource. I've been listening to parts of this again. My God, the characterizations are great; Nosey Flynn in Davy Byrne's pub..I can almost smell him he's so real.

Reviewer: tiam_is_tiam - - January 27, 2014
Subject: This excellent audiobook is the RTE broadcast of 1982

To answer mendelsm: this recording was a marathon broadcast by Irish radio station RTE, in 1982. You can read the wikipedia entry here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_(broadcast)

As others had said, this is an excellent performance. The additions of sound effects and ambiance could have gone very badly wrong, but are handled marvelously and never become overbearing or intrusive. The acting is excellent. You really can't go wrong with this version.

Reviewer: mendelsm - - August 8, 2013
Subject: Who created this audio book?

This is a wonderful reading. I read Ulysses 47 years ago and got little out of it. This audio book has brought Ulysses to life. I am now on my second full listening, often following the text as I go along. So thanks so much for making this available. Is there anyway to get some information on where and when this recording was made? whose voices are these? Fantastic voices and accents. Some of the minor characters are so fabulously portrayed, I find myself listening two or three time just for the joy of the language.

Reviewer: Ron Portnoir - - July 24, 2013
Subject: Incredible!

An amazing audio version, with sound affects, different actors and broken down into different sections, fantastic!

Reviewer: renown_kete - - December 3, 2012
Subject: File Durations

Someone did not optimize the MP3 durations for CDs. The 1st two tracks fit on a CD, but the rest do not fit together as well and leave some 20 & 30 minute MP3s without a sequential track for a CD. That is a waste, so if possible, the author should have made the MP3s closer to 79 minutes each. When episodes ended with a 20 minute track for example, the author should have made the next MP3 59 minutes.

Reviewer: wisdomandcompassion - - August 30, 2012
Subject: Gratitude to you Enabling knowledge for all

Yes! How wonderful it is to have this facillity - and to be so filled up by great literature and the generosity of fellow humans in offering their work, time, energy, and passion
May your generosity come back to you a thousand fold.

Reviewer: Folkhippy - - May 16, 2012
Subject: Absolutely incredible

Thank you so much for posting this amazing audio version of Ulysses. This is a true performance indeed. If you have struggled with reading Ulysses (as all of us have), might I recommend you give this recording a try. No cliché intended, but it truly brings the text to life.

Reviewer: josebba - - March 5, 2012
Subject: A SUPERB PERFORMANCE, NOT JUST A READING

I was amazed to find such a superb performance, and at no cost. The readers are clearly professionals and bring an actor's skill to expressing their characters. Each voice is differentiated from the others; the narrator, who is also first-rate, ties the numerous voices into a single whole. This is a big help to the reader, since separating the narration, dialogue and inner monologue can be difficult when reading the text alone.

Reviewer: fellaheendaughter - - January 17, 2012
Subject: amazing ulysses

i would have never read Ulysses without this remarkable recording. I have the book in front of me and the Stuart Gilbert companion, and the Weldon Thornton Allusions book,(way more than I can absorb in my first reading) and speakers on my laptop and i'm in heaven. Listening makes all the difference, even if I don't "get it" the music of the language keeps me completely engaged. I can't believe that there's an organization our there that takes the time, with probably little reward, to record these extraordinary works. Thank you.

Reviewer: mairead12 - - July 31, 2011
Subject: wonderful reading

I believe James Joyce would have been delighted with this reading. Each character is read by a different reader who brings the character to life. It is clear that the readers are familiar with and have a love of Joyce's work.

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